Sydney > Tasmania trip

Hi all, off on a wee drive

Plan was Sydney > Melbourne > ferry to Devonport and on to explore the western half of the apple isle staying in a tent and doing lots of walking. That was the plan and we got as far as Cradle Mtn and the incessant rain! So plan changed and we are now in Coles Bay and will explore the east coast instead.

Sydney to Melbourne was an easy drive in the Evoque, around 900km at an average 7.7l/100km driving into the strong winds. Drafting off other vehicles made a very big difference so aerodynamics is a big part of fuel consumption - I estimate it could be 10-20% A price to pay for the looks. Fell around 150km short and needed to fill up.

Tassy has been all about the handling though. Wet and dry through hairpin turns on hillside climbs and descents and long swooping curves in the pouring rain, the evoque is so confident, so able and so nimble. My confidence fails long before the grip does despite being so much quicker than everything else around - and that's the TD4. It has been a joy to drive.

Less of a joy is how dirty the exterior and interior has become. Hauling camping gear and climbing in and out after hiking in the rain is leaving a mess that is going to be an effort to clean later. Suspect the evoque is loving it though.

Photos and vids next week.

Sounds a great trip, I've enjoyed driving Tasmania in the past but never done the Syndney to Melbourne coast or on from Melbourne, supposed to be Stunning, would love to see some pics.

Great to hear that the Evoque is a pleasure in the terrain of Tassy. When we Poms come down your way we are usually at the mercy of Thrifty or Avis and are given Korea's finest. Not the best driving experience!

Last time we were down under, we took the 'direct' route from Melbourne to Sydney and stayed in Jindabyne. Very scenic.

Tell me, do the LR products in Aus have their indicator stalks on the right hand side of the steering wheel?
Any car that I have rented there does. Here in the UK, for many years now we've been Europeanised and despite having RHD cars, our indicators are on the left of the wheel. So, when we visit OZ/NZ we have to constantly remind ourselves that the stalk is not where we expect it to be, and as a result we often have the wipers going when we want to make a turn!

Look forward to your reports in Tassie. Been 3 times in other cars - such a beautiful place.

Recordman, our "blinkers" are on the LHS too in LR products. Always have been.

Recordman - it only in Australia that it called "blinkers". The rest of the world refers to indicators using the queens english

I think the stalk being LH or RH depends on the brands origin. Generally (and that is a lose generally) the german/euro brands have it different from the japanese brands in my experience. Ditto for american brands.

Make sure you head up to Binalong Bay! Beautiful! I did a Tassie trip from Brisbane in my X3 a couple of years ago. Sensational!

I took my Evoque to Tassie about 3 weeks after getting it (the Evoque, not Tassie...) and it performed brilliantly as far as handling goes. We hit a few black ice patches here and there (it was in July) but it was barely ruffled.

The main shortcoming was the obvious one - boot size. We were okay luggage-wise, but there wasn't much room for cases of wine, which is a crying shame given some of the quality wineries down there.

Hi folks, meant to post earlier but life got in the way. There were a lot of great roads for driving but apart from only 1 good day there wasn't much for walking - either wet or very windy. Anyway, I did a few quick vids. The last section is driving down the switchbacks of Jacobs Ladder on Ben Lomond ski resort. I can't beleive people drive this in winter covered in snow/ ice. Well maybe it'd be ok in an Evoque

Well dude i have spent a lot of time in Sydney with my friend in according one of the beautiful city of Australia and every tourists have like that city because there are lot of historical places in Sydney,The people of that city have friendly am i right dude???????????????????????????